Caring for Your Christmas Tree

Caring for your Christmas tree

There’s nothing quite like having a real Christmas tree in your home. To help ensure it stays fresh throughout the festive season, follow our simple tips on caring for your tree.

Choosing the right tree

Before you head out to buy your tree, decide where you’re going to put it in the house and how much space you have. That way you can make sure your tree is the right size – you don’t want it to be too big or too small.

It’s important to check the tree is healthy. It should have no brown or dead needles and when you pull a branch towards you through your fingers, no needles should fall off.

Show off your tree in the ideal spot

You want to show off your Christmas tree so put it in a room that’s used a lot, so your family and guests can admire it and enjoy the scent of a real tree. Think about positioning it in a window so people can appreciate it from outside too.

Clear a space for your new tree, close to a power supply so it’s easy to light. Keep it away from radiators and other heat sources to help prevent the needles dropping.

It’s a good idea to cover the floor underneath your tree. Not only will this help catch any needles that fall, it will protect your floor from any accidental spillages when you water the tree.

Preparing your tree

When you get your Christmas tree home, saw half an inch off the bottom of the trunk, so the tree takes up more moisture and stays healthy for longer. Place it in a Christmas tree stand – ideally one that holds water – and make sure your tree is secured safely to avoid any accidents.

Once you’ve positioned your tree in its stand in an upright position you can take it out of its netted bag and cut away any dead branches or needles. If you take the tree out of the netting before this, it will be very difficult to adjust.

Maintaining your tree

An average healthy Christmas tree can drink up to a gallon of water per day, so watering is crucial. A well-watered tree will lose fewer needles, so top up the water levels in your stand, being careful to avoid getting water on the lights and ideally turning off the power before watering.

When needles drop, it’s a good idea to use a brush to sweep them up - as a vacuum cleaner can get clogged up and break.